LG Energy-Efficient Eco-Hybrid Heat Pump Dryer
When it comes to energy-efficient appliances, the clothes dryer is typically overlooked, because whether it's a gas or electric model, most models require relatively high amounts of energy to get clothes dry. Short of drying clothes on a clothesline (which really isn't a bad idea, you know), there have been relatively few energy-efficient clothes dryer options. But now, LG is introducing the EcoPump heat pump dryer, which stands to reduce dryer energy use by up to 50%.
The Power of the Heat Pump Comes to the Clothes Dryer
The trick up LG's magic sleeve is heat pump technology. The new EcoPump dryer (model DLHX4072V) utilizes a heat pump to reduce the amount of energy needed to get your clothes dry. The EcoPump heat pump dryer is the first commercially-available clothes dryer to use this technology here in the U.S. It's so innovative, LG was recently awarded the 2014 Energy Star Emerging Technology Award for their energy-saving efforts.
While heat pumps are often found in air conditioners and dehumidifiers, their use in clothes dryers is a new development. Conventional clothes dryers use gas or electricity to create the heat to dry clothes, then vent that hot air out of the dryer, and out of the house.
A heat pump clothes dryer works a bit differently. The EcoPump dryer captures the hot air from inside the dryer, and instead of venting it outside (which is basically wasting all that heat), it reuses the already-heated air to dry additional clothing. By doing so, the amount of new energy, and new heat, is significantly reduced.
Why Energy-Efficient Clothes Dryers Matter
The new LG EcoPump heat pump dryer is an important step in creating more efficient clothes dryers. Due to the high amount of energy dryers require, they are often the least-efficient appliances in the home. An average dryer uses up to a megawatt-hour of energy annually. Compare that to another high-energy use appliance, the refrigerator, which often consumes only half that amount of energy.Details of the LG DLHX4072V EcoPump Clothes Dryer
This new LG dryer (model DLHX4072V) and its equally-efficient washer partner the WM4070HVA are as stylish as they are energy-efficient. Both are available in white for a MSRP of $1,599 or $1,699 for the fancy graphite models. They became available in the U.S. in August 2014.
Now, if only they'd invent a clothes dryer that folds the laundry after it dries it. THAT would be a true clothes dryer revolution!
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